Nearly four months after Texas' ban on cellphone use in schools went into effect, a group of Round Rock ISD students met with the district's leaders to discuss the new law.
Despite some concerns, students said that, overall, they felt more engaged, both inside and outside the classroom.
"It's kind of forced us to interact with each other more," said Chloe Colon, a junior at Round Rock Early College High School. "We're becoming closer and really making connections with people that we wouldn't normally."
The ban, which went into effect in September, requires that school districts prohibit students from using cellphones and other personal wireless communication devices at school.
In Round Rock ISD, that means phones must be "stored out of sight" during school hours, with exceptions for students with documented medical needs and special education accommodations.
Dawn Dickerson, a Spanish teacher at Round Rock High School, said she begins every class by having students put their cellphones in their backpacks. The backpacks get stored at the back of the classroom, away from their desks.
"I really do find that having it just a little bit physically removed from them, with that backpack being in the back of the room," Dickerson said. "It feels like it frees up their mind to do other things, both in interacting with their peers and in learning as well."
Students who are caught using their phone during school hours are given a warning for their first infraction. After that, their phones are at risk of being confiscated by teachers or administrators.
Dickerson, who has taught at Round Rock High School for 11 years, said enforcement of the new policy has been surprisingly easy.
"Regardless of what procedures I put in place in previous years, I would be fighting against cellphones," she said. "That just has not been the case this year. It has been a delight from the teacher perspective."
Yanet Tilahun, a freshman at Round Rock High School, said the lack of resistance may be because many students are coming from middle schools that banned cellphones before the new law.
Students may not like or agree with the ban, but for the most part, Dickerson said, they respect it.
"It has actually led to some fun and interesting conversations," she said. "Because the kids aren't happy about it ... we can talk about how it has come to be and what they can do about it, and the importance of [the] state Legislature and all of that stuff."
As an assistant principal at Round Rock High School, Denise Thompson is responsible for overseeing around 700 students. She said it was important for administrators to clearly communicate their expectations to students before enforcing the ban.
"I think when you treat them with respect and have clear expectations, they abide to that," Thompson said. "It's less confrontational, less friction ... because nobody is trying to make kids feel bad. We're just trying to ask them to work with us."
Like Dickerson, Thompson said she has also noticed more social interaction between students since the ban went into effect.
"I have observed on a daily basis, especially in the cafeteria during my lunch duty, that the students are interacting and socializing with each other," she said. "Before nobody was doing that. They were looking at their cellphones and doing only that. Now they are talking."
Thompson said she's also noticed a decrease in behavioral issues.
"Now our hallways are almost completely empty because the students are not skipping classes ... like they were in the past," she said. "And now, we have less drama and fights at school."
Still, Thompson acknowledged that concerns remain about the ban.
A few students, including Colon and Tilahun, brought up concerns about student safety. Namely, that with the cellphone ban in place, students will have more difficulty contacting parents and family members during emergencies, including potential school shootings.
Colon said the issue is especially of concern to her because most of her classes are in portable buildings at Austin Community College's Round Rock campus.
"Schools like Round Rock and Stony Point, they have a building. They have more protection around them, but we're in portables," she said. "They can shoot a portable, and it's just dangerous. It's scary."
But overall, Colon said she thinks the ban has been good for her and her classmates.
Thompson agreed.
"[Students] are paying attention. They are working. They are producing academic work. They are not getting distracted," she said. "A school with a cellphone ban supports a safe and academically engaging learning environment, in my opinion."
